An expert committee largely made up of disabled people has proposed allowing some recipients of the UK’s personal independence payment (PIP) to receive "in kind" support instead of a portion of their cash entitlement, the Guardian has reported.
The emerging recommendation, described by the committee as part of a wider and radical overhaul of PIP, would enable claimants to trade part of their payment for specialist equipment, services or training targeted at their needs. The proposal is among several ideas put forward by official government advisers working on the benefit review.
The proposals are expected to form the basis of the government-led Timms review of PIP, which is due to be published in the next two months. The committee’s recommendations are presented as "emerging" and are likely to shape the final guidance and options considered by ministers.
Details of how such an in-kind approach would operate — including eligibility, safeguards, and whether participation would be voluntary or mandatory — have not been published in the Guardian report. The ideas reflect debates about how best to tailor support for disabled people while maintaining the cash element of welfare payments.
The Timms review will be watched closely by disability advocates, campaign groups and policymakers, who are likely to scrutinise any proposals that change how PIP payments are delivered and accounted for. The government is expected to set out its response when it publishes the review in the coming weeks.